LTspice IV can assist both students and professional electronics engineers in designing simple to complex switching regulators and running circuit simulations. With the help of this SPICE circuit simulator, users can create their own schemes of integrated circuits and test them.

A decent content library

The application comes with a variate collection of predefined components that can be added to a circuit, including resistors, capacitors, inductors and diodes, wires, BUS taps, text boxes, labels and so on. Furthermore, the drawing tools can help you insert all kinds of geometrical figures or shapes and rise the complexity of the output design.

Carefully configure current flow

Each component can be configured individually by right-clicking on it. You can modify the resistance, tolerance level and the power rating of a resistor, as well as the functions, the parasitic properties and the amplitude of a voltage source.

MOSFET components can also be integrated in your scheme and their configuration can be displayed without using internal nodes, with immediate effects on the time needed for computing the circuit, but without affecting the switching waveforms.

Put your design to the test

Once you finished working on the scheme, you can evaluate its validity with the help of the built-in compiler and simulator. LTspice IV is capable of simulating complex switched-mode power supply systems and determine whether there are energy dissipation or the energy waste is minimized.

With just a click, LTspice IV can create the bill of materials for a certain circuit and generate a complete efficiency report.

Providing a suitable testing ground

LTspice IV enables you to model switching regulators and electrical circuits, as well as run testing simulations before actually building the electronic components. The SPICE-like component models help you obtain accurate results for non-linear designs, while the advanced simulation capabilities allow you to test a circuit’s functionality.

To end with

All in all, LTtspice IV provides a safe environment in which you can design your own electrical circuit and put it to the test. You quickly get acquainted with its features and the variety of components you can integrate in the design make sure your design is far from being limited.

LTspice IV was reviewed by Mihaela Citea, last updated on March 6th, 2015